Trapped in Serbia, migrants shelter in warehouse

Trapped in Serbia, migrants shelter in warehouse

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When Taliban insurgents knocked on his house door in Jalalabad around six month ago and asked him to join their forces, Darvish, 15, borrowed money from his uncle and left Afghanistan.

. Belgrade, Serbia. Reuters/Marko Djurica

"My father had worked as a driver for a U.S. company and he was killed by Taliban forces three years ago. When they came to recruit me my mother told me to leave the country," he said.

Darvish arrived in Serbia in early November having crossed through Pakistan, Iran, Turkey and Bulgaria and is now among 1,000 migrants who have occupied a derelict warehouse in the capital Belgrade.

"Together with friends I met on the road I am trying to reach Italy," he told Reuters. He wants to save enough to pay for his mother's trip to Western Europe.

. Belgrade, Serbia. Reuters/Marko Djurica

More than 100,000 migrants have passed through Serbia this year, mainly from countries such as Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan, to seek sanctuary in the wealthy countries of Europe. But border closures have left many stranded.

. Belgrade, Serbia. Reuters/Marko Djurica

According to the U.N. refugee agency, around 6,400 migrants are currently registered in Serbia, while local non-governmental organisations say their number is close to 10,000. They mostly arrive from Bulgaria and Macedonia.

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In the rundown warehouse along the Sava River bank, a few hundred metres (yards) away from prime real estate in Belgrade, Darvish and his friends lit pieces of wood they collected to warm up with the temperature near zero.

. Belgrade, Serbia. Reuters/Marko Djurica

They sleep on red blankets laid on the concrete floor and there are no toilets around.

Serbian government and humanitarian agencies offer the migrants accommodation in refugee centres with heating and food - but despite the misery of their situation, they do not want to go.

. Belgrade, Serbia. Reuters/Marko Djurica

Doing so would formalise their situation and with neighbouring European Union state Hungary letting in only between 10 and 30 migrants a day, Darvish's group might have to wait up to nine months to exit Serbia legally.

Or they might face deportation if they fail to meet asylum criteria.

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Migrants cook onions inside a derelict customs warehouse in Belgrade, Serbia, November 11, 2016
. Belgrade, Serbia. Reuters/Marko Djurica

Migrants cook onions inside a derelict customs warehouse in Belgrade, Serbia, November 11, 2016

. Belgrade, Serbia. Reuters/Marko Djurica
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"This (the warehouse) is for dogs, not for people," Said, who came from from Kabul, said. He has been living in the warehouse for a month, but does not want to go to a warmer room in one of 11 refugee centres in Serbia.

"I was already deported once to Macedonia and I don't want it to happen again."
Said

Earlier in November, a group of migrants began marching from the warehouse to the border with Croatia, but after a two-day walk they were turned back by the border police.

. Belgrade, Serbia. Reuters/Marko Djurica